The Professional Basketball Writer’s Association selected their second ever winner of the Tamika Catchings Award: Napheesa Collier. The Minnesota Lynx superstar earned this award which is based on “spirit of cooperation with the media.”
As the Minnesota Lynx superstar, Napheesa Collier, dominates in the first season of Unrivaled, an announcement was made that she was named the winner of the Professional Basketball Writer’s Association Tamika Catchings Award.
The PBWA is pleased to announce that Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx has won the Tamika Catchings Award for the 2024 season.
Details at probasketballwriters.org
— The PBWA (@prohoopswriters.bsky.social) 2025-01-30T19:55:54.283Z
This particular award is named to a player who “best fosters a spirit of cooperation with the media,” and with the rise of Unrivaled, it’s no surprise that Collier earned recognition for this as the co-founder of the new organization.
It’s an honor to be recognized with the PBWA Tamika Catchings Award, especially as someone who admires Tamika’s legacy on and off the court… Storytelling and media coverage is such an important part of growing the ecosystem around women’s basketball, and I’m grateful to play a small part in the rising tide for women’s sports as a whole.
This is yet another honor for the 28-year-old, who is quickly rising up the ranks of legendary players to have ever donned a basketball jersey, let alone for the Minnesota Lynx. Collier’s impact extends far beyond what she does on the court, though that should be nothing to overlook either. After being a starter for the USA Basketball Women’s National Team and helping them earn a gold medal in 2024, she finished a career season in the WNBA, leading the Lynx to the WNBA Finals and what should have been Minnesota’s fifth championship had it not been for some extremely fishy officiating.
Collier’s dominance has continued with her Unrivaled team, Lunar Owls. They currently have a perfect 4-0 start to the season as she leads the league in both points (28.5) and rebounds (13) per game.
Meanwhile, her leadership off the court for both her teams and women’s sports has been unmatched. Collier has continued to use her platform to uplift others and build a foundation that will long outlast her on-court career. She now becomes the second player to have ever received the Tamika Catchings Award after A’ja Wilson received the inaugural honors last year.
Full press release can be found here.